JP7478043B2 - Packaging container for artificial teeth, manufacturing method for packaging container for artificial teeth, and packaging method for artificial teeth - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a container for packaging artificial teeth and a method for packaging artificial teeth.

In dentistry, seat plates with artificial teeth are used for the purpose of transporting and storing artificial teeth used when making dentures, as shade guides (standard color samples), or as mold guides (shape and size samples). For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a seat plate with artificial teeth in which artificial teeth are fixed to the seat plate using an adhesive such as sticky wax or tape.

JP 2003-310645 A

However, because the artificial teeth are fixed to the seat plate using an adhesive (sometimes adhesive wax is used), there are problems such as deterioration of the adhesive, the artificial teeth falling off due to the transport environment (changes in viscosity of the adhesive due to changes in temperature, shocks during transport, etc.), and the adhesion of foreign matter such as dust.

In view of the above problems, the present disclosure aims to provide a packaging container for artificial teeth that does not require an adhesive to hold the artificial teeth and is highly productive. It also provides a manufacturing method thereof and a packaging method for artificial teeth.

One aspect of the present disclosure is a packaging container for storing an artificial tooth having an occlusal surface and a base surface opposite the occlusal surface, the packaging container having an upper frame and a lower frame, the upper frame having an occlusal surface covering portion having irregularities along at least a portion of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth, and the lower frame having a base surface covering portion having irregularities along at least a portion of the base surface of the artificial tooth.

The packaging container for the artificial teeth may be provided with an occlusal surface covering portion and a basal surface covering portion to correspond to each of the multiple artificial teeth.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for manufacturing a packaging container for storing an artificial tooth having an occlusal surface and a base surface opposite the occlusal surface, the method including the steps of forming an upper frame having an occlusal surface covering portion with irregularities along at least a portion of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth, and forming a lower frame having a base surface covering portion with irregularities along at least a portion of the base surface of the artificial tooth.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for packaging an artificial tooth having an occlusal surface and a base surface opposite the occlusal surface, the method including the steps of: placing the artificial tooth on an upper frame having an occlusal surface covering portion with irregularities along at least a portion of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth, so that the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth contacts the occlusal surface covering portion; and placing a lower frame having a base surface covering portion with irregularities along at least a portion of the base surface of the artificial tooth, relative to the artificial tooth placed on the upper frame, so that the base surface of the artificial tooth contacts the base surface covering portion.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is a method for packaging an artificial tooth having an occlusal surface and a base surface opposite to the occlusal surface, comprising the steps of: placing the artificial tooth on a lower frame having a base surface covering part with irregularities along at least a portion of the base surface of the artificial tooth, so that the base surface of the artificial tooth is in contact with the base surface covering part; and placing an upper frame having an occlusal surface covering part with irregularities along at least a portion of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth, relative to the artificial tooth placed on the lower frame, so that the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth is in contact with the occlusal surface covering part.

According to the present disclosure, the artificial tooth is held in place by being sandwiched between upper and lower frames having portions that conform to the unevenness of the occlusal and base surfaces of the artificial tooth, which prevents the artificial tooth from moving within the packaging container and ensures that the artificial tooth is held stably. In this case, there is no need to attach the artificial tooth to the mount with an adhesive or the like, which prevents the adhesive from deteriorating, the artificial tooth from falling off due to the shipping environment, and the adhesive from becoming dirty. Furthermore, in the past, adhesives would adhere to the artificial tooth when it was removed from the mount when it was used, but the present disclosure does not use an adhesive that would adhere to the artificial tooth, which eliminates the need for the task of removing this adhesive.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an artificial tooth packaging container 10 in which an artificial tooth 1 is packaged. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB. FIG. 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken from the viewpoint of FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded cross-sectional view taken from the viewpoint of FIG. 6(a) to 6(c) are diagrams illustrating the process of manufacturing the packaging container 10 for artificial teeth. 7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams illustrating the steps of a method for packaging artificial teeth. 8(a) and 8(b) are diagrams illustrating the steps of a method for packaging artificial teeth.

FIG. 1 shows an external perspective view of a packaging container for artificial teeth (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a "packaging container") 10 according to one embodiment in which a plurality of artificial teeth 1 are stored.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging container 10, taken along the direction in which the artificial teeth 1 are arranged as indicated by line AA in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging container 10, taken along a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the artificial teeth 1 are arranged as indicated by line BB in FIG.
4 is an exploded sectional view taken from the viewpoint of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is an exploded sectional view taken from the viewpoint of FIG.
The artificial tooth 1 and the packaging container 10 to be stored therein will be described below.

[Artificial teeth]
The artificial tooth 1 is an artificial tooth that is manufactured to replace a missing natural tooth and have the functions of the natural tooth. For example, one end of the artificial tooth 1 is inserted into a recess in a denture base and fixed to the denture base, whereby the artificial tooth 1 is arranged in an arch shape to become a denture and can function like a natural tooth.

Therefore, the artificial tooth 1 has an occlusal surface 2 that simulates the occlusal surface of a natural tooth and has projections and recesses so that it functions in the same way as the occlusal surface of a natural tooth. On the other hand, the side opposite to the occlusal surface 2 becomes the base surface 3 that is inserted into, for example, the recess of the denture base as described above.
The shape of the artificial tooth 1 is well known and is not particularly limited.

The artificial tooth 1 can be made of any known material used for artificial teeth. These include, for example, ceramics, resin, hard resin, and metal.

Teeth, from the front teeth to the molars, are not uniform and each has its own morphological characteristics. For this reason, artificial teeth are usually handled as a set of multiple artificial teeth, from the front teeth to the molars. In this embodiment, too, a packaging container for packaging multiple artificial teeth 1 will be used as an example for explanation. However, this is not limited to this, and the same can be said for a packaging container for packaging a single artificial tooth.

[Artificial tooth packaging container]
1 to 5, the packaging container 10 of this embodiment is configured to have an upper frame 11, a lower frame 21, and a backing paper 31. A detailed description will be given below.

<Upper frame>
The upper frame 11 is a sheet-like member having a recess 12 formed therein, and is configured to cover at least the occlusal surface 2 of the artificial tooth 1. As can be seen particularly from the exploded cross-sectional views of Figures 4 and 5, the recess 12 has an opening 13 that communicates with the inside of the recess 12, and an occlusal surface covering portion 14 that is a portion on the opposite side to the opening 13 and corresponds to the bottom of the recess 12.

In this embodiment, the packaging container 10 is an example in which multiple artificial teeth 1 are stored, but there is only one recess 12, and multiple artificial teeth 1 are arranged in this one recess 12. However, this is not limited to this, and multiple recesses 12 may be formed. For example, one recess may be provided for one artificial tooth 1, as in the lower frame 21 described below, or two or more artificial teeth may be arranged in one recess, and multiple recesses may be provided.

The occlusal surface covering portion 14 has projections and recesses that conform to at least a portion of the occlusal surface 2 of the artificial tooth 1. As a result, as can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, when the artificial tooth 1 is placed in the packaging container 10, the movement of the artificial tooth 1 can be effectively restricted, making it possible to stably hold the artificial tooth 1 in place without using an adhesive.
The unevenness of the occlusal surface covering portion 14 may be such that it follows at least a portion of the occlusal surface 2 of the artificial tooth 1, but it is preferable that the unevenness extends along most of the occlusal surface 2, and it is preferable that the occlusal surface covering portion 14 has unevenness along the occlusal surface 2 over an area of 50% or more of the occlusal surface 2.

In this embodiment, the upper frame 11 is provided with grooves 15 along its outer periphery so that their openings face each other. As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the outer periphery of a mount 31 is inserted into the grooves 15, thereby allowing the mount 31 to be held by the upper frame 11.
It should be noted that the method of holding the mount is not necessarily limited to using such a groove, and other means such as adhesive tape, glue, a stapler, etc. may be used, in which case there is no need to provide a groove.

The upper frame 11 can be made of various resin materials, although there is no particular limitation. Specific examples include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyvinyl chloride resin. In addition, it is preferable that the upper frame 11 is transparent, so that the packaged artificial tooth 1 can be seen through it. From this perspective, it is even more preferable that it is highly transparent and colorless.

<Bottom frame>
The lower frame 21 is a sheet-like member having recesses 22 formed therein, and is configured so that the recesses 22 cover at least the base surface 3 of the artificial tooth 1. In this embodiment, as can be seen particularly from the exploded cross-sectional views of Figures 4 and 5, one recess 22 is provided for one artificial tooth 1. Each recess 22 has an opening 23 that communicates with the inside of the recess 22, and a base surface covering portion 24 that is a portion on the opposite side to the opening 23 and corresponds to the bottom of the recess 22.

In this embodiment, the packaging container 10 is an example in which multiple artificial teeth 1 are stored, and one recess 22 is provided for each artificial tooth 1. However, this is not limited to this, and multiple artificial teeth may be arranged in one recess as described for the upper frame 11.

The base surface covering portion 24 has projections and recesses that conform to at least a portion of the base surface 3 of the artificial tooth 1. As a result, as can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, when the artificial tooth 1 is placed in the packaging container 10, the movement of the artificial tooth 1 can be effectively restricted, making it possible to stably hold the artificial tooth 1 without using an adhesive.
The unevenness of the base surface covering portion 24 may be such that it has unevenness that follows at least a portion of the base surface 3 of the artificial tooth 1, but it is preferable that the unevenness extends along most of the base surface 3, and it is preferable that the base surface covering portion 24 has unevenness that follows the base surface 3 over an area of 50% or more of the base surface 3.

In addition, in this embodiment, the lower frame 21 is configured so that its entirety can fit inside the recess 12 of the upper frame 11. This makes it possible to hold the artificial tooth 1 more firmly between the upper frame 11 and the lower frame 21. However, this is not limited to this form. It is sufficient that the artificial tooth fits between the upper and lower frames.

The material constituting the lower frame 21 can be considered to be the same as that of the upper frame 11. However, the lower frame 21 and the upper frame 11 may be made of the same material or different materials.

<Backing paper>
The mount 31 is a plate-like member, on which information for identifying the stored artificial tooth, such as the product name, an identification marking of the artificial tooth, etc. Therefore, although not particularly limited, the mount 31 can be made of a sheet of paper, resin, or the like.

<Combinations of each configuration>
The above-mentioned components are assembled into the packaging container 10, for example, as follows.
The artificial tooth 1 is placed inside the recess 12 of the upper frame 11. At this time, the occlusal surface 2 of the artificial tooth 1 is positioned so as to overlap the occlusal surface covering part 14 inside the recess 12 of the upper frame 11. As described above, the occlusal surface covering part 14 has irregularities at least in part that correspond to the irregularities of the occlusal surface 2 of the artificial tooth 1, so that the two engage with each other and the artificial tooth 1 is held stably without moving.

Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the lower frame 21 fits inside the recess 12 of the upper frame 11, and is positioned so that the base surface 3 of the artificial tooth 1 overlaps with the base surface covering part 24 inside the recess 22 of the lower frame 21. As described above, at least a part of the base surface covering part 24 of the lower frame 21 has irregularities that correspond to the irregularities of the base surface 3 of the artificial tooth 1, so that the two engage with each other and the artificial tooth 1 is held stably without moving.
Further, the lower frame 21 is disposed so that its end portion overlaps the side wall portion of the recess 12 of the upper frame 11 as shown by reference numeral 10a in FIG.

In this way, the artificial tooth 1 is held by being sandwiched between the upper frame 11 and the lower frame 12, and the occlusal surface 2 is covered by the occlusal surface covering portion 14 and the base surface 3 is covered by the base surface covering portion 24, so that the artificial tooth 1 is stably held in the packaging container 10 without using any adhesive.

The mount 31 is held in place by its end being placed in the groove of the groove 15 that is provided in a frame shape along the edge of the upper frame 11. The mount 31 also functions as a lid that covers the lower frame 21 when placed in place, preventing the lower frame 21 from coming off the upper frame 11.

<Manufacturing method of packaging container for artificial teeth>
The packaging container 10 can be manufactured, for example, as follows: Fig. 6(a), Fig. 6(b), and Fig. 6(c) are diagrams for explanation.

In order to fabricate the upper frame 11, a mold 40 for the upper frame 11 is prepared. As can be seen from Fig. 6(a), the mold 40 has a convex portion 41 that corresponds to the concave portion 12 of the upper frame 11 (the convex-concave relationship is reversed), and also has suction ports 42 on both sides of the convex portion 41 at positions slightly spaced from the convex portion 41. The suction ports 42 are connected to a suction machine (not shown), and air can be sucked in through the suction ports 42.
Meanwhile, a sheet-like material (material sheet 46) that will eventually become the upper frame 11 after molding is prepared and placed so as to surround a certain section within the frame 45. Then, the material sheet 46 placed within the frame 45 is heated by a heater or the like to enhance the deformability of the material sheet 46.

6(b), the frame 45 is moved closer to the mold 40. At this time, the portion of the material sheet 46 arranged within the frame 45 is pressed against the top of the protrusion 41 of the mold 40, and the frame 45 is moved to a height position of the base of the protrusion 41. The suction port 42 is included within the frame 45.
As a result, as shown in Figure 6 (b), at the top of the convex portion 41, the material sheet 46 deforms to conform to the shape of the top of the convex portion 41, but apart from the top, there are areas between the frame 45 and the convex portion 41 where the material sheet 46 does not adhere to the convex portion 41 and a space is formed.

Therefore, air is sucked in through suction port 42 as shown by the straight arrow in Figure 6 (b). Then, as shown in Figure 6 (c), as the air in the space is sucked in, material sheet 46 deforms so as to fit closely along mold 40.

The deformed material sheet 46 is then cooled and released from the mold, cut to a specified size, and the ends are folded to form grooves 15 to form the upper frame 11.

The lower frame 21 can be fabricated in the same manner, except for creating the groove 15.

<Effects, etc.>
According to the packaging container for artificial teeth described above, the artificial teeth are held by being sandwiched between the upper and lower frames having portions that conform to the irregularities of the occlusal surface and base surface of the artificial teeth, so that the artificial teeth are prevented from moving within the packaging container and are held stably. In this case, there is no need to attach the artificial teeth to a mount with an adhesive, and falling off or staining can be prevented.
Furthermore, according to the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a packaging container for artificial teeth, even if the artificial teeth have an occlusal surface covering portion and a basal surface covering portion having a complex shape, the uneven shape can be easily produced.

[Packaging method for artificial teeth]
Next, a method for packaging the artificial teeth in this embodiment will be described. Figures 7(a), 7(b), 8(a) and 8(b) are used for explanation.

In the examples of Figures 7(a) and 7(b), first the upper frame 11 is prepared and positioned so that the opening 13 is on the top and the occlusal surface covering portion 14 is on the bottom. Then, as shown in Figure 7(a), the artificial tooth 1 is inserted into the recess 12 of the upper frame 11 with the occlusal surface 2 of the artificial tooth 1 facing downward, and the artificial tooth 1 is positioned on the upper frame 11 so that the corresponding occlusal surface 2 and occlusal surface covering portion 14 are overlapping.
Next, the lower frame 21 is placed on the artificial tooth 1 placed on the upper frame 11. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7(b), the lower frame 21 is inserted into the recess 12 of the upper frame 11. At this time, the base surface 3 of the artificial tooth 1 and the corresponding base surface covering portion 24 are placed so as to overlap each other.
Then, the edge of the mount 31 is placed in the groove 15 of the upper frame 11 to hold the mount 31 in place on the upper frame 11 .
This results in the artificial tooth 1 being packaged in the packaging container 10.

On the other hand, in the examples of Figures 8(a) and 8(b), first the lower frame 21 is prepared and positioned so that the opening 23 is on the top and the base surface covering portion 24 is on the bottom. After that, as shown in Figure 8(a), the artificial tooth 1 is inserted into the recess 22 of the lower frame 21 with the base surface 3 of the artificial tooth 1 facing downward, and the artificial tooth 1 is positioned on the lower frame 21 so that the corresponding base surface 3 and base surface covering portion 24 are overlapping.
Next, the upper frame 11 is placed on the artificial tooth 1 placed on the lower frame 21. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the upper frame 11 is placed so that the lower frame 21 is inserted into the recess 12 of the upper frame 11. At this time, the occlusal surface 2 of the artificial tooth 1 is placed so as to overlap the corresponding occlusal surface covering portion 14.
Then, the edge of the mount 31 is placed in the groove 15 of the upper frame 11 to hold the mount 31 in place on the upper frame 11 .
This results in the artificial tooth 1 being packaged in the packaging container 10.

As described above, this method of packaging artificial teeth makes it possible to easily package artificial teeth without using adhesives.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 artificial tooth 2 occlusal surface 3 base surface 10 packaging container for artificial tooth 11 upper frame 12 recess 13 opening 14 occlusal surface covering portion 15 groove 21 lower frame 22 recess 23 opening 24 base surface covering portion 31 mount

Claims (5)

A packaging container for storing an artificial tooth having an occlusal surface and a base surface opposite to the occlusal surface,
The packaging container includes an upper frame , a lower frame , and a backing paper held by the upper frame ;
the upper frame has a recess covering the occlusal surface side of the artificial tooth, the recess being provided with an occlusal surface covering part having projections and recesses along at least a part of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth , and a groove for holding the mount ;
the lower frame has a recess covering the base surface side of the artificial tooth, and the recess is provided with a base surface covering portion having projections and recesses along at least a part of the base surface of the artificial tooth;
the lower frame is entirely disposed inside the recess of the upper frame,
The mount is disposed so as to cover the recess of the upper frame.
Packaging container for artificial teeth. The packaging container for artificial teeth according to claim 1, in which the occlusal surface covering portion and the basal surface covering portion are provided to correspond to each of the plurality of artificial teeth. A method for producing a packaging container for artificial teeth according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising the steps of:
forming the upper molding having the occlusal surface covering portion having irregularities along at least a part of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth;
forming the lower frame having the base surface covering portion having irregularities along at least a part of the base surface of the artificial tooth;
A method for manufacturing an artificial tooth packaging container. A method for packaging an artificial tooth using the packaging container for an artificial tooth according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising the steps of:
A step of placing the artificial tooth on the upper frame having the occlusal surface covering portion having irregularities along at least a part of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth such that the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth is in contact with the occlusal surface covering portion;
and arranging the lower frame, which has the base surface covering portion having irregularities along at least a part of the base surface of the artificial tooth, with respect to the artificial tooth arranged on the upper frame, so that the base surface of the artificial tooth contacts the base surface covering portion.
Packaging method for artificial teeth. A method for packaging an artificial tooth using the packaging container for an artificial tooth according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising the steps of:
A step of placing the artificial tooth on the lower frame having the base surface covering part having an unevenness along at least a part of the base surface of the artificial tooth such that the base surface of the artificial tooth is in contact with the base surface covering part;
and arranging the upper frame, which has the occlusal surface covering portion having irregularities along at least a part of the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth, with respect to the artificial tooth arranged on the lower frame, so that the occlusal surface of the artificial tooth contacts the occlusal surface covering portion.
Packaging method for artificial teeth.